Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

In reply to the discussion: $34 Trillion [View all]

gab13by13

(32,314 posts)
12. 34 trillion is a meaningless number,
Wed Jan 10, 2024, 09:17 AM
Jan 2024

The notion of paying off our debt is ridiculous. The UK still owes debt from the Napoleonic wars.

The public debt balance actually needs to be evaluated in relation to GDP. The US's debt-to-GDP ratio hovered around 97% last year, below a key threshold of 100%.

"[$34 trillion is] meaningless. It's really in the context of GDP, the resources that are available to make good on the interest of the principal payments on that debt," according to Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "A common mistake people make is that they quote these big numbers, but fail to recognize that there's some really big numbers supporting that debt," he added.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»$34 Trillion»Reply #12